Pat's Side of the Story
by Grammar541
Summary: A story retelling the events of the first Mega Man Star Force from the perspective of Pat Sprigs starting from his first day at Echo Ridge Elementary. An interpretation of what was going on off-screen throughout the game. First shot at a story, updates will likely be slow!


"Alright kids," the booming voice from the other side of the door exclaimed. "I'm sure you all know the news by now. Make sure to give a nice, warm welcome to our new student! Why doesn't he come on in and introduce himself?"

It was time. He pushed the classroom door wide open, only to be greeted by a number of eyes, all on him; he looked past them all. The newcomer nodded briefly and gave a pleasant smile, one that shone with just the slightest glimmer of hope. "Hello. My name is Patrick Sprigs."

In spite of this hope, the boy knew it was not fit to last. Patrick, or Pat as he rather privately preferred, knew that wishful thinking would only make him more disappointed in the end. Growing up in a rag-tag orphanage where he was constantly reminded of how he was horribly abandoned as an infant hadn't helped his ability to think optimistically. He'd only wished that he could come off as unassuming enough to not attract any potential bullies. Not that his long shamrock-green hair paired with his dark purple outfit helped him at all. Aside from that, he was normal-looking, at least: a slim build, just barely on the tall side. 'Threatening' did not define his appearance. This was good. This was precisely what he wanted, in fact. Now that he'd transferred away from classes at the orphanage, this could be a fresh start for him, as long as he kept his head on straight and remained quiet and calm. This came with a reason, too.

Behind that relaxed face, undetectable by any student or teacher alike, Pat was unwell. Ever since he'd been old enough to comprehend the feeling, loneliness and rejection had haunted him day in and day out. It had been a torture that his young mind couldn't contain. That was when Rey had entered his life. Taking Pat's loathing and hate away, this new part of him had been welcome as a release from these terrible feelings. He could enter an empty serenity. The only issue was that Rey's hatred could be difficult to contain. People avoided him. He'd never gotten close to anyone else. Pat hadn't considered this too heavily. Friendship seemed to just be a passing novelty for people who lived normal lives. It wasn't for someone like him. Like them. This was, however, the start of something new and he didn't want to start off with his fellow classmates on a bad foot. Remaining stable enough to keep Rey at bay would be a priority for now.

The sound of polite clapping brought Pat out of his train of thought. "Alright, Pat, you can go ahead and pick a seat there in the back," the teacher said, quieting the class down. He had formally introduced himself to the boy beforehand; his name was Mr. Mitch Shepar, and every student seemed to be on good terms with him. He was outspoken and a little loud at times, but otherwise caring for each and every kid in the room as if they were his own. It was absolutely bizarre to Pat.

Before him now sat two empty desks right beside one another. Apparently noticing his hesitation to choose one, a blonde girl with gigantic pigtails bounced in her seat, turning herself around. "Don't worry about taking someone's spot! The other kid we're missing has never shown up. Not to worry though, no one else in this room, not a single soul, is going to even be tardy on my watch, or my name isn't Class President Luna Platz!" Her air of authority was overwhelming. With a flip of her hand, the whole class seemed to be mesmerized by her energy.

"If anyone can do it, it's the Prez!" another student added, a very large boy with food-themed attire. A smaller, glasses-wearing boy nodded in agreement. Clearly, there was already a hierarchy established in this school. That didn't make Pat feel all too comforted. Not wanting to seem like he was purposefully becoming secluded, he chose the desk closer to the rest of the other students.

Class itself was… different, to say the least. After some basic math and reading practice, the teacher requested that they all put their books away. Pat noted that it wasn't nearly time for lunch yet. Why had they stopped? "Hold on, kids, I almost forgot something. Pat here doesn't know about the philosophy around here yet, does he?" Mr. Shepar was glancing over towards him… or, in the very least, that's what he thought, considering the teacher's eyes were always so close to being closed it was hard to tell.

"You see, ever since I became a teacher, I had an ideal. Pounding you kids full of studying day in and day out can't be healthy, you know? Might not seem like it, but I was a kid once, too. I understand." Seeing that Pat was still staring, hardly able to comprehend, he continued with a gentle tone. "I don't want any of you to feel pressured while you're in this room. I want you to enjoy this time in your life while you're still young. Sure, we'll learn a whole lot together, but I'll be trying my best to make it fun for all of you. Now, who here wants to hear a story about the three Satellites?"

"Yeah, I do!" the large kid blurted, pumping a beefy fist into the air.

"Are you just going to lose track again and fall asleep, Bud?" the glasses boy commented slyly, followed by a round of laughs from the room.

"Hey, don't say stuff like that in front of the new kid, Zack!" Bud muttered, losing his excited edge in place of embarrassment.

Pat didn't know what to say. This school was nothing like anything he'd ever experienced before. The general feeling was noisy, and yet… it was pleasant. They accepted him here. He didn't feel oppressed except for the occasional comment from Luna. She would be tricky to reason with. That empty desk beside him proved to be a curiosity, too. It was only touched on for a moment, but someone else was meant to be here. Right there beside him. Was it a good thing that this person was not present? For the sake of his mind, he should have just believed that.

Before long, class was over and lunch had begun. The tables were filled for the most part… one in particular had an empty seat left. At that table sat the Class President and the two boys, Bud and Zack. It wasn't hard to figure out that they were either friends, followers, or both. Luna had noticed him at once and beckoned him over with an exaggerated gesture. Tentatively, Pat placed himself next to them with his tray. That aura surrounding the girl almost immediately engulfed him. This whole school was her domain and she was in control. Any word, even a simple greeting, got mangled up before he could say it.

He may not have been comfortable enough to make the first word, but Luna sure was. "So you're the transfer student! Patrick, right?"

"...Pat, yeah."

"Alright, Pat. Since I am the Class President, I feel that knowing every one of my classmates is the most important." She really liked mentioning the fact that she was important, he'd noted. "Tell me, did you get your Transer updated when you got here? Let me see what Satellite you're under! I'm under Dragon, myself. I just don't wear it because the green contrasts my outfit." Just as Pat lifted his arm to attempt a comment, she peeped over at his blue Transer's screen. "That's Pegasus! And-" Her eyes widened as she stifled a gasp. "-you don't have a single BrotherBand?!" As if on cue, Bud and Zack leaned over in concern, seeming to prepare themselves with Prez-praising remarks once she'd figured out how to solve this massive problem.

The greenette had decided at that moment to distractedly take a bite of the pizza that had been left sitting on his tray. "...Mmn." He mumbled out a half-reply, shaking his head a little. The discomfort was plain.

And still, Luna hardly took notice. "Well, not to worry. It's only your first day here. Before long, you'll meet someone to become Brothers with! It's only the most crucial relationship anyone can have, after all."

"A Brother… it's different from a friend?" Pat spoke between bites.

A new round of shock from the Class President and her pair of lackeys. "You don't even know what it is? BrotherBands are what you make with friends that you can really trust! They make the strongest bonds of all. Zack and Bud here are Brothers with me. I trust them with all kinds of things… when they're not being lazy or ridiculous, of course."

"Being Brothers with the Prez is the biggest honor I could ever have," Bud said, a look of reverence on his face. "Even bigger than an all-you-can-eat buffet."

"From you, that's saying something," Zack replied. "But he's right. I've calculated that by making Brothers, your bonds and levels of trust go up by hundreds of percentages! It's unbelievably powerful!"

Pat wished he could be fascinated. If only he could make a relationship with another human being in the first place, but he knew that was impossible. Whenever he even thought about it, that dark place in his mind lingered around, telling him how much he could be hurt. Relationships are painful, it said. Too dangerous. At this point, he could no longer tell if it was Rey talking or his own conscience telling him what he knew to be true.

"I'll see. Maybe." Before Luna could protest, Pat lifted his now-empty tray up and stood. "It was nice to meet you. See you in class." He smiled before turning away.

"Hey, wait..!" Luna spluttered. "I wasn't done yet!" The boy was gone. "Hrmph! Fine then. He's just not used to things yet, that's all! Not having Brothers and all, he doesn't know how to act right. I'll find some way to get him involved with everyone else. One way or another!"

The next day proceeded in a similarly normal way, aside from a few glances from Luna the moment Pat stepped into class. He could no longer place how she felt about him. He had done quite the job of piquing her persistence. Unfortunately for her, he would never find himself able to explain why he was incapable of forming relationships with others. To him, these would all be his classmates. They would have to be. Nothing more. In reality, the thought was a little saddening, but it was a sacrifice he felt he had to make.

Again, unintentionally, the boy's mind raced. He entered a blank state of thought, considering every little thing that had happened to him already. He thought about the nice neighborhood of Echo Ridge in comparison to where he used to reside. The orphanage that he had left on his own. Though he never was adopted, he'd gone away anyway. No one had missed him and he had chosen not to miss them. Now he hid out on a semi-remote patch of land known as Dream Island, only a bus drive away from here. This town seemed so much livelier. He could maybe… just maybe…

Just before he could continue this thought, he was shoved into a messy, unconcentrated state. Harsh yet unintelligible whispers attacked him from all sides and he could feel the start of a mild headache. Of course Rey didn't want him thinking about things like moving somewhere permanently. That would mean getting in close with people. One of the primary emotions that he had been built from was distrust.

At least he had snapped back to attention at a good time. He hadn't realized he'd slumped over on his desk with a lost stare on his face. Thankfully, no one had been watching… he hoped. Mr. Shepar stepped into the room as the bell went off and began to take attendance. "Good morning, class. Let's see who's here today. Bud?"

"Here!"

A few other students chimed in as their names were called alphabetically by last name. After Luna, who replied as enthusiastically as ever, Mr. Shepar continued, "Pat?"

"Here."

"Alright. Geo?"

Silence. No one even looked around to see if someone was actually gone or just forgot to speak up. It was business as usual to them. Pat's eyes scanned the room full of people until they landed on that seat immediately to his left. The vacancy that no one seemed to care about. The empty desk.

And then attendance moved on, as if nothing had happened at all.


End file.
